Ikokan Magic: Court Magic
Court Magic: An Entreaty to the Gods A subset of Sacred Magic, Court Magic is so called due to it’s wide use within the Courts of Ikoku and the direct connect to the Heavenly Courts that make up the Pantheon of Ikokan Deities, Spirits and even Demonic Entities in very rare cases. The magic around the Courts is one of acceptance, reverence and lip service. Students are taught within large sweeping schools and temples, raised from a young age into their art and service to the Spiritual World. Practitioners are referred to as Kannushi for men and Miko for women. Different temples and practitioners hold different rules of conduct for their members from hermitism to adhering only to Imperial Law. Red Tape and Double Edged Letter Openers: Purview of Court Magic Court Magic functions by asking for a spirit, God or other entity for aid in a task or using the spiritual landscape of Ikoku itself to emulate these entities. Burnt offerings, prayer strips and prayer are common focusing methods for those who practice Court Magic and it is widely known that the spirits and Gods such men and women employ are far more likely to grant aid if those who ask bare items they are sympathetic with. Most Court Magic takes time to process, spirit and Gods alike being busy entities, spells often times taking weeks, months or even years to come to pass depending on their scope and power. The power of Court Magic focuses on several separate functions. Cleansing and Exocism: Kannushi and Miko are often called to expel ghosts and other malicious beings from homes, temples and castles. This practice is deeply ritualistic and often takes days if not weeks to complete depending on the size of the area to be cleansed. Such rituals are taxing on the bodies of those performing such duties and it is not uncommon for Kannushi and Miko to pass out from exhaustion or sleep depravation in the middle of such events. Summoning: Kannushi and Miko employ various charms and sutra’s that can bring forth spiritual entities for a set and agreed upon time. These entities often will complete a given task and then return to their place of origin. Mistreatment of such entities, improper sacrifices and even mispronouncing the name of the entity can cause great trouble for inexperienced or unwitting summoners as often times the spirits they call forth report such transgressions to their masters. Incarnation: By channeling the power of the called upon spirit or God, Kannushi and Miko can use a focusing item sympathetic to the entity to grant them powers similar to the entreated spirit. Such spells, unlike much of Court Magic, are near instant as they circumvent the normal avenues of granted powers by directly tapping into the power of the chosen entity. Minor uses of this power go completely unnoticed by said entities though prolonged or exceptionally powerful spells of this school will often draw the attention of the Gods for good or bad. Curses: A darker side of Court Magic though a much rarer side as well, Kannushi and Miko may place curses on individuals, items, bloodlines or locations that last long after they themselves pass away. Such curses are difficult to remove and may not even take effect until many years into the future. Crafting: '''Some of the finest smiths of all Ikoku are Kannushi and Miko, shaping their spiritual magic into blades and armor whose power come literately from the Gods themselves. Such items are difficult to make, more difficult to destroy and impossible to price. Such rare items are the envy of noble Clans and are sought out on the battlefields where they rear their faces. It is possible for Gods, Spirits and Dragons to deny the use of their power to an individual for many reasons leaving Kannushi and Miko at a loss until they can be appeased. Different Gods may ban the use of their powers for those who use the powers of their rivals or empower and expedite those of their allies. Because of this and the constant shifting of the political landscape of the spiritual world, Kannushi and Miko are often times well versed in the goings on of those who they work for and employ with their magic. '''Crime and Punishment and Employment: Obligations of a Worldly Servant When dealing with spiritual entities it is always wise to double and triple check each dotted line and crossed T, if only to avoid repercussions later down the line. Due to the intimate connection to the spiritual Courts Kannushi and Miko often come under fire and suspension from their inhuman employers and peers. Kannushi and Miko are often tasked by spiritual go betweens to intercede on worldly matters for Gods and are often under contracts to fufil such tasks in exchange for greater power or the ear of the Gods themselves. Failure to comply with requests is widely viewed as disrespectful and often comes with strict punishments from the powers that be should one continue to ignore their obligations born from the bounty of gifts the Gods provide. Punishment ranges from curses to spiritual confinement upon death. It is not unheard of for even mortal men and women to be removed from their temples by angry spirits never to be seen again. Breaking a Gods testaments is also worthy of punishment though such is usually less severe than ignoring ones obligations. Shikigami: Lawyers and Diplomats of the Spiritual World The summoning of spirit aids is a common practice to expedite the many delays that dealing with a courts of the Gods and Spirits themsevles. Shikigami are any spirit or construct controlled by anyone who practices Court Magic. These entities vary widely in appearance. Many are crafted by the practitioner himself of glass, terra cotta or even folded paper. Shikigami serve their creator or controller completely and obediently however a mistreated Shikigami may rebel and cause considerable damage not only to their handler but to the world at large. Crafted Shikigami still utilize simple animal spirits to power them, granting them a lower level of general intelligence though allowing their creator a greater number of such creatures. Shikigami often posses the ability to pass from the physical world to the spiritual world without effort, allowing them to pass messages from their masters to other spirits who can pass requests directly to the powers that be instead of it being filed away to be viewed later. Should a Shikigami be slain the creator or controller can feel the power of their servant dwindle down to nothing though it does not bar the Kannushi or Miko from making another or coercing another spirit into their service. Shikigami however are much like other spirits in that they discuss amongst themselves who are good masters or bad masters. It is an widely discussed secret that the Shikigami have created entire networks of such discourse within both the physical and spiritual world to better facilitate communication. Masters who mistreat or send their servants into deadly situations are almost always required to simply make their Shikigami which are often the target of angry spirits who attempt to break them and free the caged spirits within from their cruel masters control.